Hero
by Her Owlness
Summary: After Chad realizes that Whitney will never allow herself to love him, he makes a decision that will change both of their lives forever. Features lyrics from "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias


Lyrics from "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias

Would you dance, if asked you to dance?  
Would you run and never look back?  
Would you cry, if you saw me crying?  
Would you save my soul tonight?

I hold her picture in my hand. She's so fiery, so passionate, so sexy. I don't know how much longer I can last, seeing her each day while knowing that she will never be mine.

It's not that she doesn't love me. As much as she may try to deny it, I know that she does.

The problem is that she's afraid. She's afraid of love in general… and of her feelings for me in particular. They're stronger than anything she has ever felt before, and she's afraid that those same feelings will hurt her sister.

How do I know this? How do I know her fears, her hopes, and her dreams? How do I know so much about this woman if she refuses to be mine?

Between the love that is shown in her eyes and the words that escape from her lips, I have realized the truth.

She will never allow herself to love me.

And that means that I will have to leave.

__

Would you tremble, if I touched your lips?  
Would you laugh?  
Oh, please tell me this…  
Now would you die, for the one you love?  
Hold me in your arms tonight

I arrive at the Book Café, hoping that he'll be working. He's been avoiding me recently, not that I can really blame him.

He loves me with all of his heart and soul and wants nothing more than to be with me. I love him. Honestly, I do, but we can never be together.

My sister believes that he is **her** boyfriend. That he loves **her** with all of his heart and soul. It would kill her if she ever learned that it was **me **he loved.

It almost did kill her.

Since her accident, I can no longer allow myself to love him. We're friends, and that's all that we will ever be.

I just hope that I can survive seeing him while knowing that I can never make him mine.

__

I can be your hero, baby  
I can kiss away the pain  
I will stand by you forever  
You can take my breath away

I quickly pack my things and prepare to leave. Before I can, I know that I must leave some note, letting them know that I am ok.

Luckily no one is home tonight. I silently walk about the house, leaving notes on the kitchen table and in her bedroom.

As I leave their house, I realize that I will always love her. Come what may, my heart will always be hers.

__

Would you swear that you'll always be mine?  
Would you lie?  
Would you remember?

I lie on my bed and stare up at the ceiling, wishing that he could be mine.

But he can't.

There's no point in wanting the impossible, I scold myself. You don't need a man anyhow. You have your tennis career. Having a boyfriend would only complicate your life. When would you have time to see him anyhow?

I'd make time to see him, my other half fights back. If I loved him half as much as I think I do, I'd do anything to see him and to be with him!

Would you even tell your sister the truth?

My inner battle rages on, as it does every night. Eventually I will come to the same conclusion that I always reach.

I **don't **need him. I **don't **love him.

But deep down I know that I will never forget any of our times together or the love that we so briefly shared.

__

Am I in too deep?  
Have I lost my mind?  
I don't care, you're here tonight

I run to Ethan's place, sure that he will be able to find me a place to stay for the time being. I only need a place until I can find one of my own.

A place that will be free of her forever. I will never think of her or utter her name. Finally, after what seems like a lifetime, I will be free.

Get real, I tell myself. You'll never be free of her. You're in far too deep to get out now.

And I know that it's the truth. She will be with me until I die, never leaving my memory, my heart, or my soul.

I knock on Ethan's door, awaiting the reaction that it sure to come.

"What? Are you crazy?"

__

I can be your hero, baby  
I can kiss away the pain  
I will stand by you forever  
You can take my breath away

A rapid, insistent knock disrupts my thoughts of what might have been.

"Come in!" I call.

My younger sister burst through the door. "Oh, Whit!" she sobs. "It's horrible! He's gone!"

"Calm down, Simone," I comfort her. "Who's gone?"

"Chad! He only left this note!"

My heart stops. He's gone. He's really gone.

I had wished that he would disappear from my life so I wouldn't feel so guilty about lying to my sister. But I hadn't meant it. Honest.

I feel a dull ache in my heart, a feeling I have never felt before. The man of my dreams has left me to carry on alone. I know now that I can no longer deny my feelings for him.

But my feelings for him are irrelevant. If he's gone, there can no longer be an Us.

I quickly read over his note.

"Coach, Doctor Russell, Whit, and Simone,

Thanks for letting me stay with y'all, but I need my own place.

Take care,

Chad"

He's really gone. While he said in the note that he left because he needed his own place, I can't help but feel that I am to blame. Is it possible that I chased him away?

__

Oh, I just wanna hold you  
I just wanna hold you  
Oh yeah

As I lay on my new bed, I can't help but think of her. The way she always knew exactly what I was thinking. The way she kissed me so tenderly and so lovingly. The way she fit so perfectly into my arms. It was if we were made for each other.

"Oh, Whit," I whisper to myself as tears well up in my eyes, "while we may be apart, you'll always be mine."

A single tears rolls down my cheek. I never cry. Nothing and no one is worth my tears.

That is, no one except her.

__

Am I in too deep?  
Have I lost my mind?  
I don't care, you're here tonight

That's crazy, I tell myself. You couldn't have driven him away.

But a part of me knows that it's my fault he left.

I sob into my pillow, my heart breaking into millions of pieces.

But it's not his fault that my heart is breaking. It's my own. I caused all of this, and now I must pay the price.

After I have cried all my tears, I decide to put in a CD. He loved music, and hopefully music will make me feel like he's still here with me.

Atop my CD player is a brand new CD, entitled "Love." Confused, I pick it up and glance over the songs on the CD. _Truly, Madly, Deeply_ by Savage Garden, _I Believe (Love Is the Answer)_ Blessid Union of Souls, _I'm Gonna Love You Forever_ by Jessica Simpson, _This I Promise You_ by 'NSync, _Anywhere for You_ by the Backstreet Boys, _Kiss Me_ by Sixpence None the Richer, _Absolutely (Story of a Girl)_ by Nine Days, _Wherever You Will Go_ by The Calling, and_ Hero_ by Enrique Iglesias.

I gasp as I notice a small corner of white paper hidden inside the case. I slowly open the case and see a note from him.

"Whit,

I love you. You know that. I know that you love me too.

I saw this CD in the store the other day, and it made me think of you.

Please, Whit, don't give up on us.

You'll know where to find me…

Forever yours,

Chad"

I'll know where to find him? What is he crazy?!? I have no idea where to even **start** looking!

Sighing with frustration, I put the CD into my player and listen as song after song talks about love. Fitting, I suppose, considering the title of the CD, but rather depressing all the same.

How can I listen to these love songs when I have no idea where I can find the man of my dreams?

I reach for my picture of me and Theresa at our Senior Prom. Carefully, I open the frame and slide out the picture hidden behind it. My only picture of him.

A small piece out white paper falls into my lap. My heart leaps with joy as I realize that it's another note from him!

"Whit,

Bet you didn't think I knew you had this picture of me!

I realize that my last note was a bit vague, but this is where you needed to look.

If you want to find me, Ethan can tell you.

With all my heart,

Chad"

Thoughts of curfew and early morning practice fly from my head. I have to find Ethan.

__

I can be your hero, baby  
I can kiss away the pain  
I will stand by you forever  
You can take my breath away

I lie back and let the music of the newest addition to my CD collection take me away. When I saw it in the store, I knew that I had to buy it. It didn't matter that I already had most of the songs on the CD. I had to buy two of these CDs—one for me and one for her.

I hope that my leaving will make her realize how much she loves me. I hope that she will think that our love can overcome anything—including her sister's feelings.

I believe that our love is strong enough. The question is, does she?

__

I can be your hero  
I can kiss away the pain  
And I will stand by you forever

Nervously, I stand outside his door. Why am I so nervous? It's not as if he should be surprised to see me. Judging from the note in the CD case, he should be expecting me!

__

Knock, knock.

The door creaks open and tears well up in my eyes.

He's here.

More importantly, I'm here.

I have finally found where I am supposed to be.

"You came," he whispers, almost in shock.

"Of course I came," I reply. "You think I could let you run away from me?"

"I hoped you wouldn't." He softly kissed away my tears.

My heart stills at the next words out of his mouth.

"Are you going to tell Simone about us?"

__

You can take my breath away  
You can take my breath away

I catch the quick intake of breath when I ask the inevitable question. Without Simone knowing the truth about us, we have no future. And if we have no future, I know I can no longer torture myself with dreams of her. I have to know the truth.

"I—I don't know if I can," she stutters.

"Whit, you are the strongest woman I know. You love me. We both know it, yet you have fought your feelings for months to avoid hurting Simone. If you set your mind to it, you can do anything—including this."

"I—I don't love you," she insists.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "Then what're you doing here?"

She is silent. She appears to be fighting a battle within her head. A battle that I'm sure she has fought before. I only hope that this time the outcome will be different.

She sighs deeply. "Ok, Chad. I'll do it. I'll tell her—for Us."

I reach for her and kiss her until our breath is ragged. I have her in my arms. I am holding the woman of my dreams. Finally, Whitney is mine.

__

And I can be your hero…

He's my hero. He forced me to make a decision that changed my life—for the better.

I love him, with all of my heart and soul. And I dream of spending the rest of my life with him. Being together, now and forevermore.


End file.
